Classic_Boxing_Matches

Gladiator II (2024)

"Wood or steel. A point is still a point."

If you are going to see this expecting another well-written and emotional story like the original Gladiator... then you will be disappointed. BUT, Gladiator 2 is an all action spectacle! Big set pieces, great design, awesome visuals, CGI is pretty decent, fight scenes are relatively realistic I suppose, good twists (and maybe one or two forced ones what help connect it to the original but anyway). It's still a good action movie and most people's issues with it stem from how it doesn't compare to the original vs taking it on its own merits.

Final verdict: Loud and proud, visually stunning and I thoroughly enjoyed it on the big screen. It's one of those movies that's better when it's bigger I reckon. Might not have enjoyed it as much on a smaller TV at home. It's not smartly written, some twists felt forced but the performances are decent enough to make up for that. It's a good movie, but an even better popcorn spectacle.

The Equalizer 3 (2023)

"Are you a good man, or a bad man?"

After being shot, Robert McCall finds himself severely injured but saved by a small town doctor in Italy. Once recovered, Robert finds himself drawn to this seaside town and decides to stay and protect them from the Maffia.

The original Equalizer was a great action film with a compelling storyline and a bad ass, almost Aspergers, lead character. Equalizer 2 had its moments but felt very over the top and unrealistic, particularly the ending. Equalizer 3 starts strongly, but then it slows down, A LOT. It focuses on Robert's recovery and his relationships around the town but sadly, it just wasn't interesting. There were a number of characters but most of them were completely irrelevant to the story and had forgettable parts. When the action scenes did occur though, they were fast and violent - exactly what I expected. The big end of movie fight though just seemed too easy and not really anything that tested Robert, it didn't feel like an end of movie fight and it was also nothing that special compared to what we had seen previously in the film.

Final Verdict: Its slow and not overly interesting but the action scenes were still violent and unique for the most part. Denzel Washington gives an interesting performance, he seems conflicted and it's the first time we see his character look weak but overall, it suffers from a flat and forgettable script. Just stick the original.

Werewolf of London (1935)

"The werewolf is neither man nor wolf, but a Satanic creature with the worst qualities of both." - Dr Yogami.

Botanist, Wilfred Glendom, travels to Tibet where he finds a unique flower that only blooms in moonlight. Whilst there, he is attacked by a wolf-like creature who inflicts upon him the werewolf curse. On his return to England, Wilfred is informed by a mysterious stranger that the flower he found in Tibet has the power to cure him of his infliction...

I quite like The Wolfman from the 1940s and I wasn't really aware of this earlier film until recently. I wasn't sure what to expect but it still let me down. The make up effects for the werewolf were actually fine, I liked the minimalist approach as it still looked scary and although not as iconic as the makeup used in The Wolfman it was just as effective - he looked scary. I enjoyed the camera work at times, there was some cool transitions especially during werewolf transformations. I liked a couple of the characters but all in all I think there was too many of them and some which served no purpose. There wasn't really any intensity or suspense, no jump scares, the violence was mainly implied rather than seen and the story felt slow. The portrayal of the werewolf i also felt was inconsistent - bending steel bars apart with his hands one moment then getting throwing around and knocked out by a walking cane to the head the next.

Final Verdict: Makeup and special effects aside, it's a slow and uneventful horror film. Too many characters, lots of dialouge and not enough suspense or action. Outside of a couple smooth transformations scenes and a laugh or two, I can't recomend this. Stick with The Wolfman.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

"I once told you that secrets have a cost. The truth does too." - Aunt May

Peter Parker learns more about why his Father went into hiding and the controversial experiment he was working on at Oscorp. Meanwhile, Peter's friend, Harry Osborne, is struggling with finding a cure to a genetic disease he inherited and requires Spider-man's blood to generate a cure. While all this is happening, a shocking new villian arrives on the scene with a fixation on Spider-man.

I actually really liked the first Amazing Spider-man. It wasn't perfect and Andrew Garfield was no Toby McGuire but it was still fun and looked fantastic. Amazing Spider-Man 2 is not in the same league as the original, it's a lot more action packed sure but the background story of the villians is a lot more comedic in the case of Electro and then just boring in the case of Green Goblin/Harry Osborne. The film goes more comical than the original and its fairly childish yet rhe overarching dilemmas are very adult and the combination of both approaches doesn't really work all the time. The biggest issue is the multiple storyline and too many characters. We have the secret of Peter Parkers father, the introduction of the Osbornes and their genetic disorder, Max Dillon turning into Electro, Aunt May needing to take a second job, Gwen Stacey debating if she moves overseas, the whole Rhino robot suit thing... just way too much. That's not to say there wasn't fun or impactful scenes - I quite liked the end of movie scene with the little boy standing up to Rhino before Spider-man arrives or when Harry Osborne arrives at the power plant in the final battle and he slowly comes to realize Spider-mans identity and of then of course the most memorable scene of the film and arguably any Spider-man movie, Gwen Staceys death. There's also a few scenes that are just pointless and usually they involve Aunt May. She was well underutilized here and if you take her scenes out, the movies would not change in anyway.

Final Verdict: Action packed but also bloated with too many characters and storylines. Visually, it looks extremely eye catching but the fancy special effects are trying to concele a convoluted story. You can do a lot worse but it doesn't live up to the original.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

"Oh, no! You have found my weakness. Small knives!" - Spiderman

Peter Parker discovers an old briefcase belonging to his deceased father that contains secret documents relating to Oscorp and his old lab partner, Curt Connors. Peter breaks into Oscorp Labs to see if he can learn more about what his father was up to but ends up being bitten by a genetically enhanced spider granting him unique abilities.

When i first saw this film at the cinema i actually didnt like it. Toby Mcguire was my Spidermam and the Lizard was one of my favourite Spiderman villians but i didn't like his portrayal in this film. Over the years and also following Spiderman No Way Home, i revisted Amazing Spiderman and its actually a darn good film. The first half is definitely my favourite as the last quarter goes a bit silly with The Lizard trying to turn the city into reptiles. The Lizard's portrayal in this film was actually really good for the most part, not a huge fan of his physical appearance in regards to his face, as I wish they gave him more of a protruding nose/mouth than just flat like they did... but anyway, still visually impressive. Andrew Garfield did an alright job playing Spiderman / Peter Parker but he is just a bit too overly emotional for me, particularly the end.

He was certainly funny and a lot more physical with the comedy than what Toby McGuire was, but hes still not may favourite Spiderman. Visually this film is a stunner! I watched it on 4K Bluray and the colours and clarity are reference quality - if you like superheros and have a 4K TV this is a film to get and show off your hardware.

Final Verdict: Action packed, funny, great CGI and a good villian. I could of done without ANOTHER origin story and i don't think Andrew Garfield is as good a Peter Parker as Toby McGuire was, but otherwise, its a great Spiderman film! Check it out.

Poltergeist (2015)

"There's something upstairs. I think there's something in my room." - Griffin Bowen

A couple and their three children move into a new home and start to experience supernatural activity. When the youngest daughter gets kidnapped and taken into an apparent ghost dimension - the family must seek help from unlikely sources.

Poltergeist 2015 is a re-make / re-boot of Poltergeist from 1982. I don't think the original Poltergiest needed to be remade if i'm honest but this film gives it a decent go even if it falls a bit flat. It's almost identical to the original film but updated for the 2010s and certain scenes feel like a homage while others are new and sometimes pretty unique. I can't say the film was that scary, it had some cool imagery like the clown toys, living tree, shadowy zombie figures etc. But there was no blood, you never saw anybody actually get hurt. I didn't feel the need to look away and I don't think I flinched even at the handful of jump scares. The story was intriguing though and I can't say I got bored, it did move briskly and when the horror elements were at play the film didn't muck around with long lead ins or slow reveals. There was one aspect of the story which were really irrelevant ... the husband's money troubles. There's a couple of extended scenes that showcase this or highlight it but it serves no purpose whatsoever to the overall story and was wasted space.

Final Verdict: It's not a horrible film but it's also unnecessary. It has some cool visuals and the story was fast paced and intriguing enough that I didn't get bored, however, I can't say it was that scary or memorable. You can easily skip this one, but if you did happen to catch it you could do much worse...

Ranking Poltergiest movies best to worst imo: Poltergiest 2 Poltergiest (1982) Poltergiest (2015) Poltergiest 3.

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

"Those assholes never learn." - Sarah Connor

I watched this movie at the cinemas and then again on Blu-ray, twice, to write this review. Although I'm really disappointed in the rewriting of Terminator lore, it's actually an alright action film. Stop reading now to avoid spoilers...

The movie starts by killing John Connor almost right after the events of the 2nd film... Yep, right off the bat, gone. So basically it makes everything that happens in Terminator 2, a waste of time - thats my biggest issue with the film. Without going too much into the story, a new terminator called a Rev9 arrives to terminate a young woman who is the "new" John Connor of the future. This new terminator is pretty cool I'll give them that, and so is the character of Grace who is a human but augmented to possess increased strength, speed and endurance in small bursts. The story line is alright but predictable and leaves a couple plot holes while the acting from Linda Hamilton and Arnold is pretty cheesy at times. The film tries too hard to elicit emotion from the viewers, classic example is Diego's death early on and Grace's flashback (or flashforward?) story about how Dani saves her in the future - I didn't feel anything whatsoever. The actions scenes are very enjoyable and some are quite inventive but like most action movies these days it's goes too over the top by the end of the film.

Favourite scene was the fight in the factory when Grace first encounters the new terminator. It was pretty straight forward and nothing crazy but still a very solid fight scene.

Final Verdict: Story aside, which is disappointing for a Terminator 2 fanboy like me, I grudgingly admit I still enjoyed the film. The action is fun, the special effects are fantastic and the Rev9 terminator could be pretty unsettling and scary. It was nice to see Linda Hamilton return to the franchise, I just wish the plot was better.

Terminator films ranked from best to worst (in my opinion):

-Terminator 2: Judgement Day -The Terminator -Terminator Salvation

• Terminator Dark Fate

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

"Oh. Look at little Goblin Junior. Gonna cry?" - Peter Parker

Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson have things going their way but all is not as smooth as it seems. Peter's best friend, Harry, believes Spiderman is to blame for his fathers death; Uncle Ben's killer is on the run and ends up turning into a monster and an alien symbiote lands on earth to complete matters even further.

This movie gets a bad rap but it's actually fine... If you ignore the dancing scene and Emo Peter Parker. The story gets a bit convoluted although not unfollowable, it suffers from too many characters and gets a tad CGI heavy with CGI that doesn't look very good by today's standards but also not horrible. But Toby McGuire does a great job portraying Peter Parker, Kirsten Dunst is equally good as Mary Jane and Thomas Hayden Church at first seems like an odd choice for Sandman but actually pulls it off. Topher Grace I thought made a good, arrogant Eddie Brock but sadly, didn't do a very good job as Venom in my opinion and how he came to be in the same church as Spiderman when he was removing the symbiote is convienantly stupid. James Franco had his moments as Harry Osborne but a messy script made his character and his arc a joke. One thing that was annoying is the fast pace of the fights scenes at night time - I found them very hard to actually see what was happening.

Final Verdict: Its not Spiderman 2, and it doesn't have the magic of the original but this was still fun to watch. It's not a must watch, but give it a chance. You may be surprised... The best aspects tend to be the human elements and relationships between characters as opposed to the superhero stuff.

Saw 3D (2010)

"You've got to give before you can receive in this house, Jill." - Matt Gibson

I'll start by saying I have only seen one Saw film prior to watching Saw 3D (7) and that happened to be the original Saw film. It wasn't really my thing so never bothered seeing the sequels until Saw 3D and the only interest I had in that was the 3D aspect. And I can confirm, the 3D was pretty decent. It wasn't always consistent but when it was present the 3D was well utilized. Outside of that, some of the inventiveness of the deaths was fun, if not overly fake, and I laughed more than cringed. There was enough gory scenes littered throughout that I can't say I was bored, there wasn't too may slow spots. Sadly... I can't say anything else positive about this film. It has a very daytime TV feel about how it was filmed, as in very low production values and cheesy acting. The story is confusing with so many different characters and because I hadn't seen any of the previous sequels, the story and character reveals were completely lost on me.

Final Verdict: It wasn't without some fun but ultimately this is shallow and poorly made. Even the funny deaths aren't worth recommending this. If you've seen all the previous Saw films you might understand what's going on but if you haven't - you'll be completely lost like I was.

Upgrade (2018)

"See, you thought I was a cripple but you didn't know that I'm a ninja." - Grey

After Grey was left paralyzed and his wife killed following a mugging, he turns to experimental surgery that not only heals him of his paralysis but also gives him special abilities. Grey uses his upgraded nody to seek revenge on those who did him wrong.

I loved the premise of this film, the plot alone got me hooked but being a smaller, Australian film I was not sure what to expect. Turns out, it's great! The acting isn't stand out exactly and there are certainly slow spots but the action and fight scenes are fun and violent and there is a surprising amount of humour. There are also a couple twists I didn't see coming and the ending caught me by surprise - even with the twist! There are plenty of movies with similar stories about somebody seeking revenge on bad guys and getting special abilities but this goes about it in a slightly different way and it was refreshing to watch and not be able to predict how it eventually ends.

Final Verdict: If you like revenge action films with a bit of sci-fi then this will be up your alley. Don't let the lack of big name cast put you off - this is violent, gory, funny and fresh. It can get a bit slow at times, but overall, it's a great film! Highly recommended.

Shi shan nu ni (1977)

"The treatment... is acupuncture of the breast"

In ancient China, after being raped and attacked by a gang of rebels, a group of woman become nuns to cope with what happened. But many years later, they find themselves confronted by the same rebels and must choose to either ignore them, or fight them to the death to prevent other woman from the same fate they suffered.

This film sucks. Sorry, it does. Visual quality wise, it's pretty bad - lots of dirt and grime, muddied colors and blurry images. It has plenty of 3D pop out sure and some of it even made me flinch as it shot towards my eyes but it still wasn't clear. The story can be hard to follow at times because a lot of the characters all look the same and the film moves at an awkward pace. The only redeeming aspect of the film I liked was that the movie starts fast, right in the middle of the action and rape scenes actually, and it also uses immediate 3D effects. There is a little bit of a "so bad it's good" effect when it comes to the voice dubbing - the dialouge is so idiotically simple and the voices don't always match the faces that I couldn't help but smile or laugh regularly.

Final Verdict: I really didn't like it. Poor visual quality, bland story and bad (although admittedly unintentionally funny) voice dubbing make this hard to watch. It has effective yet repetative 3D effects and some of the violence is fun in a gory way even if it's totally unbelievable but there isn't any reason to really recommend this in this day and age. Just skip it.

The Darkest Hour (2011)

"This is the last day of the extermination... and the first day of war." - Matvei

A group of Americans find themselves stuck in Russia after an alien invasion. Together, they try and find survivors while making their way to a submarine moored in the river.

The film is marketed as a big budget film but it's much more aligned to a B-grade feature. That's not a complaint so much as nothing wrong with a good B-grade film, but Darkest Hour just didn't do it for me. The overall premise isn't that unique but the design of the aliens was - invisible creatures with electricity for its apendages. The invisibility I'm sure it was more to save money on having to animate aliens and they arnt THAT exciting if i'm honest but its different. The thing I did like was how they killed people, they just exploded into ash but it had a whirlwind sort of effect to it as well. Also the death of certain characters was very unexpected and I couldn't predict what was going to happen. Outside of those specifics I don't think there is anything else to recommend here. It's very forgetable and the ending is both anticlimactic and too convenient. I didn't like any of the characters, the story is slow moving and the acting could be atrocious at times.

Final Verdict: Some cool death animations and surprising unpredictably in the story is not enough for me to recommend this film. The acting is bad, plot is unoriginal, it's slow moving and visually very unimpressive. A couple actors do make a bigger name for themselves after this but unless you REALLY like Joel Kinnerman or Olivia Thirlby you can easily skip this.

The Wiz (1978)

"I gotta sing that thing again?" - Scarecrow

Synopsis: It's the black Wizard of Oz. Except Dorothy is a teacher and not a teenager.

What did I just watch? Holy moly. Its certainly loud... and colorful. And it has a big name cast. But it's hardly magical and it just feels like a giant acid trip MOST of the time. The acting is pretty bland and even the songs arnt that catchy (with the exception of Ease On Down The Road) which is a shame because you have two of the biggest musical acts of the 20th century in Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. The dance routines certainly have a lot of energy but they arnt overly creative or memorable... I guess the part of the film I only really enjoyed was the set design, costumes and make up but even those are far from the best I've seen!

Final Verdict: It's not good. It's memorable for the wrong reasons and I was very dissapointed. Yes its visually enjoyable, yes its loud, yes it's got a big name cast but... it's got NO magic. I can't recommend it.

Jurassic World (2015)

"Don't worry. It's gonna be just like taking a walk in the woods... 65 million years ago." - Owen

Almost repeating the past, a new Jurassic Park is opened with the world's first genetically engineered dinosaur on display, Indominus Rex. But things goes horrifically wrong when Indominus Rex escapes and wrecks havoc across the park.

I'm a huge fan of the Jurrasic Park series. The original is my favourite by far but the sequels were still enjoyable if not a little silly. I didn't have high hopes for Jurassic World but i was pleasantly surprised - thus a good solid film. It's still no Jurassic Park (1993) but it's just as fun as The Lost World (1997) if not better. The special effects and CGI are magnificent, although i personally dont think anything beats thr animatronics of the original Jurassic Park. The action scenes and dinosaur reveals are fun and scary and there's a few throwbacks to the original for nostalgia sake. Now, I'm not a huge fan of the casting. I like Chris Pratt but I didn't really buy into his ex-military, raptor training persona. Bryce Dallas Howard was believable but her character didn't really serve much purpose. Vincent D'Onofiro plays the villain but I feel his chops are wasted playing a generic character. Anyway, you come to a film like this for the dinosaurs and you get plenty of them so I was still very happy even if the actors didn't quite do it for me. The action scenes were mostly believable if not a bit far fetched, same goes for design of the Park, but Indominus Rex was a great creation! Probably my favourite carnivore of the whole series if I'm honest. The dialouge could be cheesy at times but you can look past that as it moves briskly and never lingers too long on anything boring.

Final Verdict: More dinosaurs than you can shake a stick at and just a fun movie all round. The characters arn't exactly believable and certain action scenes feel a bit "hollywood" at times but it has the right amount of nostalgia and new plot elements to perfectly merge the old trilogy with the inevitable new trilogy. Highly recomended!

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

"I've never been in a snowball fight before. Like, is there a point system or... a fight to the death." - Flint

When his town is devoid of any food other than sardines, a young inventor creates a device that makes food rain from the skies.

I have seen Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and didn't think much of it so when sitting down to watch the original I wasn't expecting much. However, I am happy to report this is a much better film that its sequel. In saying that, it is very similar to the sequel (surprise) but there is so much more focus on character development and plot. That's what really sets the two apart for me - the sequel is much more focused on humour and fancy CGI at the expense of everything else. I was surprised at how much emotion is in this film, it's not the most heart wrenching I've seen but it does well highlighting the struggle of seeking parental approval (from both sides) and the importance of being yourself. The voice cast assembled here is great, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Anna Faris, Bruce Campbell and my personal favourite as I wasn't expecting him - Mr. T! One of my favourite scenes is the giant jello castle - it's very original, great use of colour and the entire sequence features some funny, poignant dialouge between the two lead characters, although it's not that noticeable to start with so you really have to pay attention to get all the little jokes both visually and spoken.

Final Verdict: I was pleasantly surprised by this film. I am not familiar with the book yet i still I enjoyed it's bright colors, simple to follow story, terrific voice acting, decent 3D and surprisingly emotional relationships between characters. The humour isn't laugh out loud but it's original and plenty fun enough for both adults and kids to enjoy. Highly recommended.

Jurassic Park III (2001)

"Some of the worst things imaginable have been done with the best intentions." - Alan Grant

When a young boy goes missing on one of the islands of Jurassic Park, his parents hire some mercenaries and kidnap Dr Alan Grant to help get him back.

I remember liking this film as a kid and I dare say it was probably my favourite for a while but as I got older I started to see its flaws. The overall story is about retrieving a kid trapped on an island but the story of how said kid got on the island is silly, and so is the recovery mission come to think of it. The characters are nowhere as interesting as the previous films, which is sad given the decent cast, and the action feels a bit hollow at times. The dinosaurs also don't look AS good as previous films, as the CGI is starting to look dated and the animatronic dinosaurs appear too stiff on occasion. Its not horrible by any means but by comparison alone, ots not as good as the previous films. What does work well however is the humour, it's sprinkled spairngly throughout and every so often I had a chuckle (especially at the candy bar machine "anybody have change?"). And even though I just complained about the CGI bringing the dinosaurs to life, the Spinosaurus (who replaces the Tyrannosaurus Rex as the new big bad), is a cool looking creature and I quite enjoyed any scene it was in, particularly the showdown with the T-rex. The pterosaurs were also surprisingly scary! There was nothing super memorable when it comes to the overall story but there are some really fun action scenes. By comparison alone, this is easily the weakest Jurassic Park film but in saying that, it's not horrible by any means.

Final Verdict: The film has moments of fun, some decent jump scares but also outright stupidity and it is a bit predictable. The dinosaurs still look pretty good though and Sam Neil returning helps raise the material above average. All that said, it's a surprisingly solid popcorn flick.

Jurassic Park (1993)

"This is a game trail. Do you want to set up camp or a buffet?" - Roland Trembo

A pair of paleontologists, a skilled mathematician specializing in chaos theory and a lawyer, have been invited to Jurassic Park before it opens in the hope they will endorse it. But due to sabotage, the parks security systems fail and the visitors find themselves trapped on an island with a host of dangerous dinosaurs.

When I usually do a movie review I'm writing the review while watching the film which is why I have a "final verdict" at the end because my opinion may change over the course of the viewing ... But I've seen this so many times I don't need to. It's simple to follow, has a smart story, great acting, plenty of intrigue and for the first time in a big budget feature, realistic dinosaurs! The young me was captivated and in awe back in 1993, I lived and breathed dinosaurs but all I had to keep me entertained at that time was The Land Before Time. I still have that same sense of wonder when watching it 30 years later! I don't The one thing that has changed for me though is that when i was younger I didn't really notice at how closely it resembles a horror film... but that's exactly what it is. It's a family friendly horror film. My favourite scene is without a doubt when the T-Rex escapes is enclosure and notices the kids in the car - one of the scariest scenes in cinema yet its so beautiful at the same time. There are a few scenes in which the CGI is looking a bit soft or lacking detail but honestly, easy enough to overlook.

Final Verdict: Still the best Jurassic Park film and a film the little boy in me loves to this day. There is a sense of wonder and joy that none of sequels replicated. The perfect combination of horror, action and fun without going too over-the-top. Highly recommended.

Don gato y su pandilla (2011)

"HAHA I love stealing from orphans." - Fake Top Cat

While scheming to get rich to feed his gang, Top Cat gets framed for stealing money from orphans and must try clear his name.

I wasn't expecting much when I sat down to watch this. I'm not that aware of the original 60s animated show and this movie was incredibly cheap to buy online - that it's never a positive sign. I also reviews of it and people hate this mocie... At first I could understand why, it's dead simple and very low enegry. Childish even. But then it warmed it on me... yes the jokes aren't that great but they aren't overally stupid either just simple and innocent. The animation I really enjoyed! 2D characters in 3D animated environments. I know some people hated this as it doesn't look like the 60s original, and i agree it's hardly the most impressive I've seen but the simplicity of it worked well here particularly on the 3D Bluray I watched - consistant depth for the whole runtime. The premise of the film is very simple and easy to understand as it is a kids film but some of the concepts are quite adult and deal with real world concerns such as using 24/7 video camera monitoring of citizens to fine them. The whole movie is split into two parts really, part one is about Top Cat scheming get rich quick schemes and introducing characters whole part two, is about Top Cat being framed and going to "dog" jail as "cat" jail is full. That premise of a cat in dog jail was quite funny to me and probably my favourite scenes in the film. In saying that, it's hardly an exciting film, it doesn't move overaly fast, there isn't many action scenes and the voice acting is uninspired (although not the worst I've heard.). It really does feel like an extended episode of a child's Saturday morning TV show. I can't recommend it because of those reasons yet I also don't hate it. UPDATE June 2023: I did go back and watch a portion of it in 1.5x speed, and it felt so much easier to watch! The dialouge was still clear and sounded better actually when I went back to watch the film in normal speed it sounded and looked liked everything was being played at 0.5 speed. Very odd...

Final Verdict: i enjoyed the simple animation, the consistent 3D and even some of the jokes which are admittedly pretty tame but i chuckled at a few. Annoyingly it's also slow moving and not overly exciting. It's not that it's horrible, like most other reviews would make out, it's just very... simple. I enjoyed it for what it was but it's hardly something I'd watch again either. I recommend watching in 1.5x speed (trust me).

Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)

"I'm gay." - Pedro.

Three gods, daughters of Atlas, return to the human realm seeking their stolen powers which are now imbued inside six teenagers. These teenagers, led by Billy Bastion, are they only ones strong enough to challenge the sisters and prevent them from destroying the world.

The original Shazam! Is one of my favourite DCU films, in fact it's my second favourite after Wonder Woman. I can't say I was looking forward to this sequel though as when all the kids got powers at the end of the first film, it sort of took away the uniqueness of Shazam as a character. There's now six identical characters in one film essentially... But that is a personal gripe. This film got savaged by critics and and although I don't think it's as bad as what most people.have made out, its certainly not a great movie. First off, the kids are even more immature than the first film and they look way older than their specified ages. Because of the immaturity of the characters, the humour doesn't quite hit the mark as it's fairly lame or stupid most of the time (but not all the time). Im not sure who the studio are targeting this film towards because the jokes are really childish yet the action is surprisingly violent at times. The other big issue is the plot... it's all been done before. Not these specific characters or the specific story sure, but the general premise of big bad guys show up wanting something, dont get it, threaten earth, superhero saves the day after getting knocked about most of the film. Cue yawning. Also, the bad guys are generic and not that interesting and I didn't give a toss about them as they had a very thin backstory. The Wizard is also back... not sure how considering he DIED in the first film but I guess when you deal with magic anything can happen!... Which is why I was so annoyed at the ending. A big, selfless sacrifice completely undone by magic. Tsk tak.

There are some things I did like however, such as the Greek mythological monsters and how they were designed - they looked extremely menacing and cool. Also, the unicorns in this film rock! Weird thing to say out loud I know. The visuals of the films are really good to, nice use of colors, good costume detailing, bright outdoor settings - was very fun to watch in 4K. I found myself mesmerized by the little details on Shazam's suit such as the cape clasps having little lion faces on them. The action scenes were okay, not my favourite but serviceable however the humans in this film take a rough beating! They get thrown into walls, knocked through windows, landing awkwardly and breaking their necks... I grimaced more than once but that was usually followed by a smile or laugh as it was fun to watch. And lastly, the cameo at the end... I can't say anything without giving it away but at first I thought it was lame but I actually enjoyed it when I reflect on it more. It was a nod of approval of sorts from the "big boys".

Final Verdict: Nowhere near as good as the original with a boring story and uninteresting villains but visually it's impressive and there's plenty of action scenes with some surprisingly violent imagery to keep you entertained. I enjoyed the second half a lot more than the first.

Creed III (2023)

"Pain is temporary." - Duke

Adonis Creed retires from the ring as the undisputed World Heavyweight Champion and turns his hand to being a promoter. But an old forgotten friend is released from prison after 18 years and asks Adonis for a favor - a shot at the World Heavyweight title. Adonis must confront his past mistakes and eventually, his former friend, who lures him out of retirement.

I've always been a huge fan of the Rocky franchise and was pleasantly surprised by how heartfelt and action packed the Creed sequels were. I had some high hopes for Creed 3 and I'm happy to report, they were mostly met. Creed 3 is just as action packed, if not more so, than the previous films. The boxing is believable, there's good emotion and I really enjoyed how they brought back previous fighters like Drago and Conlon as in a way it closed off the storylines from the previous two films. Jonathan Majors was a very interetsing character... initially I thought he was going to be a Clubber Lang rip off but he wasn't, he was just a guy who wanted what he was owed but the law took it away from him. He was respectful and humble yet always had this "gangster" vibe about him and as it turns out, he also has a bad side. It was really hard to tell if he was being serious about staying friends with Adonis or putting it on to get his way and even after the film ends its still ambiguous... I like that. I also liked how Jonathon Majors character, Dame, had weaknesses that were apparent from the get go, he didn't come across as this unbeatable fighter like Drago was in Creed 2 but he is still intimidating due to his violent fighting style and penchant for bending the rules. The ending is slightly predictable, and the story does tend to follow the same structure as most Rocky films since Rocky 2. There was some very cool imagery in the final fight which was different and unique, when both fighters block out the crowd and the ring turns into a cage reminiscent of a prison cell. Never seen that before in a sports drama film...

Final Verdict: Although visually it was a bit drab outside of fancy ring walks and the ending was predictable, there was plenty of boxing action and believable performances. I really liked how they brought back previous fighters and if your a fan of the Rocky or Creed series you shouldn't be dissapointed... except for the fact Rocky isn't in it. But I got over that fact pretty quickly once the film started. Highly recommended.

Alien (1979)

"You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you?" - Ash

The crew of a spaceship, Nostromus, encounter an alien lifeform that boards their ship and goes on a murderous rampage. While trying to defend themselves it also becomes apparent the company they work for has some hidden intentions.

I'm a late comer to the early films in the Alien franchise. In fact my awareness of Alien came from the toys and then the Alien vs Predator movies from the 2000s. As such, my first watch through was difficult for me as it's not an action movie, it's a sci-fi horror. So, I gave it some time and watched it again expecting a slower pace and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The special effects look great, art design is fantastic it's all verh believable and of course the alien is the best looking alien from any space movie but the action is a little slow... Mind you, it's not an action movie as i said, is it? Not really. The standout scenes for me are of course the chest burster and then Ash malfunctioning and getting decapitated - two of the best hororr sences ever filmed! I'm not a horror fan generally, or suspense for that matter, but this really got me engaged and hanging on every moment. Only thing I was left wondering about which still seems odd to me was why Sigourny Weaver's underwear was about 3 sizes too small in the final fight scene? Hmmmm....

Final Verdict: Alien is a horror film through and through and a great one at that. The special effects still hold up, although due to limitations of the time we don't often get to see the xenomorph alien creature in FULL as we would in later films. Although lacking in action, it makes up for it with suspenseful visuals and genuine scares. It's still an all time classic with many memorable scenes and arguable the best of the whole franchise.

Alien films ranked best to worst IMO: -Alien -Prometheus -Aliens -Alien Covenant -Alien 3 -Alien Resurrection -Alien vs Predator -Alien vs Predator: Requiem.

High Plains Drifter (1973)

"The only problem you've got Sheriff is a short supply of guts." - The Stranger

A stranger rides into the town of Lagos and quickly dispatches three of the local troublemakers. The towns people ask this stranger for assistance to help protect them from other bandits and in return he can have whatever he wants free of charge. The stranger agrees to help, but he is harboring a secret agenda himself...

This wass my first Clint Eastwood western and boy did I pick a good one! High Plains Drifter is a violent, revenge film with a supernatural twist. It's not supernatural in terms of the story telling, that comes only at the end of the film and it's a bit confusing at first but the rest of the movie is straight forward enough. Visually I really enjoyed the look of this film. The simple yet effective sets, costumes, bright outdoor scenarios all looked great and then the end of film shoot out in the middle of the night amongst burning buildings was a great contrast. The acting from Eastwood was one dimensional, his supporting cast provide all the emotion and excitement and they do it well, but Eastwoods lack of expression and monotone delivery worked well in the context of the film. The action scenes do appear a little dated but the stunts themselves look good and some of the hits must of hurt - you can only protect yourself so much rolling of a two story roof for example! I really enjoyed this film up until the final shoot out... visually the whole scenario was impressive but the action was unrealistic in regards to how nobody steps in to stop Eastwood killing their friends. I mean you could argue the supernatural aspects allowed him to do so, but still. Also the ending scene was ambiguous, I had to read the Wikipedia page plot section to make sure I understood what I had just seen. I guess it was designed that way but I like my films a bit more direct - is he a spirit or not?!!!! That's my only gripe though.

Final Verdict: Violent, sadistic, direct and enjoyable. Its hardly an acting showcase for Eastwood but the supporting cast are great and the supernatural element was a little unexpected but interesting. It's a great comeuppance movie even if I enjoyed the first half more than the second. Highly recommended.

65 (2023)

"There's something alien out there." - Mills

Space transporter pilot, Mills, crash lands on an unknown planet that he eventually realizes is actually pre-historic Earth. All of his passengers, except for one young girl, have died. Together, Mills and the child must traverse the dangers of the planet and reach an escape pod stranded atop a nearby mountain.

I was really looking forward to this film. The trailer looked exciting and it featured Adam Driver who I don't mind and dinosaurs which I love! The premise of the film is a cross between Jurassic Park and Lost in Space with a Planet of the Apes twist early on but it just didn't do anything that exciting with the material. There is a side plot about Mills' daughter dying of a disease or something but I felt it was completely irrelevant to the overall story and lacked emotion. The CGI to animate the dinosaurs was ... okay, I guess. But it's been done better in later Jurassic Park films. In saying that, I do like that they portrayed the dinosaurs differently as they moved in a completely different manner and looked just slightly visually different as to not be Jurassic Park rip offs. Infact the Tyrannosaurus Rex in this film is more size accurate than what Jurassic Park would have you believe. The dialouge was pretty basic throughout and nothing memorable - I can't quote a single line other than "impact imminent" as the computer said it repeatedly. I had to Google the line I used at the start of this review. The action set pieces weren't anything we haven't seen before same goes with the futuristic weaponry and gadgets. The action scenes did contain a jump scare or two and there was palpable tension during a couple set pieces but otherwise it was sadly unremarkable.

Final Verdict: An interetsing premise is wasted by slow pacing, unremarkable dialouge and average acting. Even the CGI effects to bring the dinosaurs to life weren't that impressive and the action scenes aren't anything we haven't seen before done better in other films. Very dissapointed, and genuinely sad it wasn't better 😔

The Flash (2023)

"You want to get nuts? Let's get nuts." - Batman

Barry Allan uses the speed force to travel back in time and save his Mum. But on his return to the present timeline he gets knocked off course and finds himself stuck in an alternate timeline where Superman is not around to stop Zod's invasion of earth.

I was not expecting much when I went in to watch The Flash. The DCU had never really grasped my interest outside of Wonder Woman, Shazam, Zack Snyders Justice League and Suicide Squad so I was pleasantly surprised when I walked out having enjoyed this so much! The Flash is sort of like the DCU's version of Avengers Endgame in that is references and rewrites various events from movies past... and not just recent movies either but ALL DC related films or shows going back to the 50s. The humour can be a bit on the nose at times, but there's also some genuine comedic observations about the other Justice League characters. Although the overall plot is quite emotionally heavy and deals with loss, grief and the role pain plays in our development as people, the story is told in a light and breezy way making it very easy to watch. Generally time travel storylines get very confusing, but the explanations given in this film are quite different to how other films deal with time travel and I found it slightly refreshing. It did start to get a little confusing right near the end with what was happening inside the time bubble thing and worlds were crashing into one another but outside of that small sequence, everything else made perfect sense to me. It was great to see Michael Keaton return to his role as Batman, I can't say I was overaly happy with his portrayal mind you as it was almost too comedic but it was still "cool", I got giddy. There are a few other interesting faces that show up and events refrenced from movies past and I don't want to spoil it for others but it was fun pointing them all out... to a point. That was also the movies biggest let down. I don't think they needed all those cameos particularly from historic DC franchises. It just felt a bit much, they over did it and it lost some of the impact.

Final Verdict: Action packed, funny, emotional when it counts and just an all round easy watch. It does start to get a bit self-indulgent right towards the end and the humour didn't always land but its one of the better DCU films in a long time.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

"Fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and glory." - Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones finds himself in India, where a bunch of poor villagers urge him to retrieve an ancient stone that has been stolen by an evil priest and rethrn their kidnapped children in the process.

Then first Indiana Jones film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, is an all time classic. A near perfect adventure. Temple of Doom carries on Indiana's swashbuckling adventures for mysterious artifacts yet it feels... less, almost empty at times. It's not a horrible film, far from it but the biggest issue I had was the story doesn't feel smart. It's quite simple and straight forward and there's not that much problem solving or situations when Indiana needs to use his brain - crazy risk taking will solve most of the problems. The film also moves at a very brisk pace and some of the danger Indy finds himself in feels hollow, or missing the gravitas to make me invest in what's happening. It's the same issue with the new female love interest, they don't have that much chemistry and we are sort of forced into believing they have strong feelings for one another with very little background to go off. Also, Willie is a damsel in distress character quite different to Marrion and I couldn't really get into her portrayal... she was a bit annoying and useless. But, this film does a number of things well to. Short Round is a great sidekick character, I thoroughly enjoyed his energy and antics whenever he was on screen. The overall story is a lot darker in tone than Raiders of the Lost Ark, it's almost horror like at times and I enjoyed the special effects. The voodoo elements were well integrated and I enjoyed the brief spell of "evil" Indy. And even though I did bad mouth the relationship angle in this film, the actress playing Willie is incredibly attractive!

Final Verdict: A lot darker in tone, Temple of Doom carries on Indy's adventures with some exciting set pieces and new characters. It's not as smart as Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Indian setting didn't really resonate with me as much as Nazi's, but it's still a fun ride while it lasts.